The characteristic between artificial and natural oud or agarwood is quite different, but for the outsiders who is outside Indonesia they are not aware of this. They only judge by the strong smell. Black magic wood can be a lot stronger then common natural oud or agarwood since we can trim the note up beyond natural harvested oud or agarwood.

Also some BMW when we burn it, it will show a characteristic same like real natural harvested oud or agarwood.  Such as bubbling, emits oil and emits resin.

The reason of the existance of this BMW is economical reason. Since real genuine agarwood or oud is very high and expensive. Indonesian who produce this kind of wood usually stated that this is BMW or artificial agarwood not real oud. The price from the craftsman for the best BMw is 150US$-200US$. It will look the same, smells the same as real ones. These wood usually made as gift since buying oud for some people it’s not that comfortable. It’s way too expensive.

There is a trick to detect your oud or agarwood chip is BMW or natural oud, by breaking it and see it’s fiber. If the resin mark is too good to be true  meaning evenly distributed you should suspect that is BMW. Since natural oud are mostly do not have evenly distributed resin in it. Except for super king grade which is very very expensive and.  Can reach minimum 7000 USD/Kg in the Indonesian market alone.

In Arabia this kind of agarwood were called as Black Agarwood since mostly it’s black in it’s color.

So folks don’t worry about this kind a artificial agarwood as long as it’s still using natural resin and natural technique such as high pressure, this kind a wood wouldn’t harm you. But obtaining natural so called real agarwood is a better way. Thanks for reading.

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It was the toughest day of my life. Well I never work out with heavy loads before like 150 Kg of Oud woods. Grading them in the sun, picking each one of the them from a several huge pile of woods.

Wood business isn’t glamor like it may seem, it’s exhausting, complex and sometimes it can make you loosing friends or even your life.

Hunting agarwood in the wild isn’t as easy as people buy them in the mall. Malaria, wild animal sometimes your own teamate is your enemy or other guys that having bad intention.  Why? Since  agarwood is precious things when you get it, it worth something so it can bring greeds to your minds and who knows. There are alot of stories about people missing in the jungle in their seek for oud or agarwood especially in Kalimantan (Borneo) also in Papua.

This explain why agarwood price is very high. Because of it’s extensive labor and harshness in obtaining it.

Also the papers that make you go here and there if you dont have the correct lines. It’s a lesson to me. I think in the future if I got enough doze of capital I will stick with the oil.

Thank You for reading

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With an extensive explotation and without any effort of replanting from the locals, the oud is in mortal danger of extinction.

In 1992 the Convetion for Threatened and Endagered Species or CITES put Aquilaria and Grynops under CITES appendix II . But luck seems haven’t leave the golden tree. Research that were taken by American named Robert .A. Blanchette in Vietnam in 2001 had put a golden key for it’s survival. But in my personal opinion his research is nothing more then taking deeper experiment that had being done by locals long before his research. Such as nailing the agarwood, but his further research is a leap for agarwood or Oud survivability. This is inducement or innoculation using certain fungus that were inside the agarwood or oud itself.

We know that Oud or agarwood is a process of infection. The infection is caused by fungus. In the wild this infection can take from a decade to several centuries process.

The basic principal of Oud or agarwood inducement is copying this process but in quicker way.

Oud had very soft and light wood, so it was easy prey for bugs and fungus.

In the wild the infection begins with an insect larvae attack, the insect are making tunnel and live inside the tree for a period of time. The larvae activity inside the wood make a side effect which is the creation of micro climate inside the tunnel. So the tunnel that is a wound will be infected with fungus and the tree emmits resin to fight the evil boarders.

From those principals we make such process only with better way in controlled enviroment and correct dosage of fungus. We drill them and put fungus inside the holes.

This may look cruel but the ever demand of oud in the world cannot meet with the Oud stock in the jungle. So one way or another, this must be done so our children and their descendant may still can appreciate the golden tree.

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If you ask me  can oud oil  be varied in color?

The answer is yes. But green or purple is not it’s natural color. Since the color of oil depend on composition of chemical compound inside the oil Since oil is liquid state of oud resin. So it’s impossible that the oil will have different color with the resin when you distill them. It can be greenish or reddish but not dominant color. Pitch black is the natural color of oud oil or golden or brownish not purple or green (please read about this in agarwood grading article). Since this coloring process is also depend on micro climate inside the wood when infection taken part also what fungi and bacteria that taken part of this infection.

But making your Oud green isn’t as hard as you may think.

You just need a copper brass canister and oud oil.

Very simple and easy task, put the oil inside the copper brass, let it contact with the air for few months or even years (you may close it with a shred of fabric). And the reaction between the oil and the copper brass canister give you green oud oil. As simple as that.

But purple?

I’ve asked a professor that researching agarwood or oud since 1989. And when I asked him about this matter.  He said it’s not possible that oud oil can be purple. Too bad he doesn’t want to be known by public. Only to specific persons that had serious interest in agarwood.  I must seek his permission first if I want to publish his name on the web.  Since I don’t have it now maybe I will share his name and contact with you dear readers in the future.

There are many myth regarding oud including this one.

The simplest way to make oud colored is put some coloring agent in it.

The easiest way to detect this to give it a test lab using GC-MS test. With counter test between you and the trader. That’s all I can say.

If  any of you beloved readers had any objection in this article I would be glad to take any critics.

Thank you for reading.

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What’s the different between these two anyway?

Well First, let me introduce you to Gaharu or so called as “real” oud.
“Real ” oud are mostly come from Aquilaria Family. These includes The most highly priced now Aquilaria Crassna also known as Cambodi Oud. Aquilaria Malacensis, Aquilaria Beccariana, Aquilaria Fillaria (the Papuan Oud) and so on. These Aquilaria families were highly priced because of there high quality. Defining what is high and and not in oud business is difficult. Since many people strictly depend on their noses and experience. And nose those that aren’t trained enough can be easily to be fooled.

The reason aquilaria class is considered high grade is the highly eudesmol content inside the oil. They say the higher the eudesmol the higher the quality of an oud oil. But to me me this is still vague. What is behind the mystery of these Aquilaria are higly priced?

Some said the middle eastern people seek for oil that will dooze them up with full relaxation after they inhale the vapor. Simply they become very sleepy and wake up with a very relaxing state. And this is from Aquilaria Family.

From chemical aspect oud is very unique substance since it consist 17 kinds of compound. That each had different in these compound even in a single species that live in a different area.

Let’s discus about Gaharu Buaya

For you oud lovers outside my country (Indonesia) mostly didn’t have any clue about these type of Oud. The term “buaya” in gaharu meaning “crocodile“.

The naming of Buaya had their own story.

One version said that the naming came from where these so called gaharu buaya lives. Which is in the bogs or the swamp, that is the habitat of crocodile. Since they are gaharu so people called them as gaharu buaya to differ their jungle counter part.

Other version of this naming Buaya is actually a marking for it’s quality. Buaya in Indonesian culture related to a person that is a womanizer and a big liar. So marking it with this buaya name give it a difference with “real” oud. Well some gaharu buaya is quite disgusting resemble to what we called as minyak nyongnyong (very strong oil that super powerful in it’s oudor that make you wanted to vommit). But some where had agreeable oudor close to Aquilaria Class. Like the one I had here the Agrolia Malacensis and the Aetoxylon Sympetalum.

The Gaharu Buaya had a lot more species then the Gaharu from Aquilaria Family. That’s another difference. In oud perfumery industry, these gaharu buaya are largely use for mixture with Aquilaria Family to meet the demand of growing market. Since Aquilaria class is very expensive that would not be economic to use these Aquilaria in Industry.

Many of these Gaharu Buaya oil goes to India trough Singapore, there they will be mixed with other oud from Aquillaria Family and sell to middle east. And later on to the Europe and USA.

The point is people don’t let your nose and you experience trick you…..

Since my fellow friend sell several hundred dollars worth of oud for several thousand dollars because of the buyers mistake. My friend tried to explain with his best ways. Even show the guy a lab certificate . But the guy don’t get it. He simply give up in explaining it. Then he put several bottles and let him pick. The guy’s pick is on the wrong one…it only worth several hundreds a liter but he paid it for several thousand…. And when my friend warn him that is not a good one, the guy insist. So they had a deal and my friend is both happy and confuse.

Why this guy pick the wrong one? It was only a Gaharu Buaya….

That’s all folks….

Thanks for reading

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In Indonesia the end product of agarwood were classified into 3 major
class:

1. Gubal

What is gubal?
Gubal is the full resin of agarwood wich contain the whole resin with
few or 0 wood fiber. This is very high in price, a professor that is my
friend told me that his colleague sold it for 150 Million rupiah a
Kilo equal to US$14K++ to a Kuwaiti guy. So if somebody try to
blackmail you with selling wood chips with very few resin( You can see
it people!) and charge you US$3K/kilo just say to him/her: “Forget
it!” or
advertising they made oil out of US$3K wood chip, just leave him/ her.

Gubal shaped in several kinds:

-Stick (this is not real stick people, it’s just long shaped resemble
to stick )
-Fin
-Ball

The oudor is super strong even you imprison this baby in a sealed
carton box with strapped duct tape you can still smell it.

Another thing people this gubal if it’s AAA class if you put it inside a jar that contains water, it will surely sink.

Further more this Gubal will be brown , dark brown or pitch black. It will be in form of crystalized form of resin if it was AAA resin.

Gonystylus Bancanus Gubal

2.Kemedangan

Known to be incese grade agarwood, it’s in form of both wood and resin.
Huh? Wood and resin? How I ever differ the Kemedangan resin and Gubal
resin?

Hold your horses here.

Let’s talk about the wood 1st.
Agarwood wood chip will had brownish or black color from infections
(sometimes white but this is a very rare one)wich indicates it had
resin in it. This ranged from several US$ to several hundred US$/Kilo.

Medang Class Wood Chip

Now gidde up!!

Let’s talk about the medang resin, only to trained eye and nose can
differ gubal and medang. What? that hard?
No not that hard actually , kemedangan especially the AB class is a
little lighter in color and lesser oudor and another sign that a resin
is from kemedangan class that it breaks. Unlike the gubal that is
united into a one clump. Kemedangan tends to break and fragile. This
can be arround several hundred US$-several thousand.

Medang Class Resin AB Quality

3. Abu Gaharu (Agarwood Dust)

When you process the wood by splitting the infected wood and non infected wood you got the agarwood ash or the agarwood dust.These dust usually use as incese people! that sold in Ebay or many other sites. This is the lowest grade. Since this is by product. But don’t get mistaken if the seller process wood

with gubal class in it, you get gubal class dust and when they process medang class from the wood you get medang ash. So the price may vary.

Ok People thanks for your attention.

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Known from it’s diversity Indonesia also known as one of the largest source of oudh or agarwood or gaharu. From 17 kinds of tree that can produce agarwood resin, 8 of them are exist in Indonesia.

Oud, agarwood or gaharu is known to mankind since the dawn of history. The term oudh came from Arabic word(???) wich literally means “wood”, the gaharu came from sanskrit word “aguru” wich mean “the heavy wood” since high quality agarwood is sinking when it puts on water, also known as jinko or kyara also aloeswood, eagleswood in Papua New Guinea.

Oudh or agarwood or gaharu is very rare. Because of excessive hunting for their woods and resin it is now on CITES appendix II, wich means this wood is only allowed to be trade in a very small quota. Indonesia as one of the largest exporter of agarwood restrict it’s exporting quota into 300 Tons/year but only 10-20% are already met.

In the wild agarwood can produce resin after years of process. The resin is actually a defense mechanism, this resin use as means to defend themselves from fungus infection. But now days technology can made agarwood produce agarwood resin just within 1-5 years after it grows in full size.

We offer you high quality agarwood oil and wood chip from it’s source. Our products are genuine no added material such as coloring agent, alcohol or agarwood oil solvent. Additive is very dangerous when it’s inhaled it may cause harm to your body. Alcohol added agarwood oil can cause cough. Other additives may be carcinogenic or causing other health problems.

So we give you 100% assurance that our oudh are genuine.

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The second familia is Leguminosae it only had one genus Dalbergia, The last familia is Euphorbiacae it also had only one genus that is Excoecaria.

Now we shall discuss about species, Aetoxylon only had one species that able to produce agarwood resin that is Aetoxylon Sympetalum also known as kayu bidurob, laka, garu buaya and pelabayan. A.Sympetalum has average high of 15 M or 49.212 ft with 25-27 cm in diamater. It has egg shapped leaf, it grows in sandy low land forest with average rain rate per year is about 1400 mm/year.

As for Aquilaria genus it has the riches and the best species that can produce agarwood resin. It has several species the first is Aquilaria Beccariana, secondly Aquilaria Microcarpa this tree is able to grow 35 M or 114.82 ft in high and 70 cm in it’s diameter, The third is the queen of Indonesian oudh Aquillaria Malacenensis LAMK this tree can grow about 40 M or 131.23 ft in high (as tall as cellphone tower!) with it’s diameter 80 cm. This tree is the best producer of agarwood resin and oil in Indonesia.The fourth is Aquilaria Fillaria it  is only grow to the average high of 15-18 M and the trunk diameter  is only 50 cm. this tree is natively to eastern part on Indonesia such Moluccas and  Papua. In Papua this tree call as Age and in Moluccas known as Las.  The fifth is Aquilaria Cumingiani.

The third genus is Gonystylus. It had 2 species G.bancanus and G.macrophyllus This plant is a huge one. It can reach 45 M in hight and it’s diameter ranged from 30-120 cm (almost as large as a dinning table.)  this tree live in the bogs or wetlands. It produce ball resin.   The ball resin formed because an infection hit the ex branches growing area. It grows in Sumatera and Kalimantan (borneo)

The fourth genus  is Enkleia. Enkleia is a  liana plant wich means it’s a climber plant (it climb up to another plant trunk’s or any other things to gain sunlight). This plant lenght can reach 30 M and the trunk diameter is only 10 cm. It has red colored trunk with branches and also a hook that use for climbing.

The fifth  genus is Wikstroemia
This plant is a bush plant. It can reach 7 M in high it’s branches diameter it’s only 7.5 cm. The  branches where red or brownnish colored. In Indonesia there are 3 species of Wikstoemia,  Wisktroemia androsalmofolia Decne found in Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and Papua. The second  Wikstroemia polyantha Merr found all over Indonesia and the third is Wikstroemia Miq found in Sumatera and Kalimantan.

The sixth genus from Thylemeceae is Grynops it has 2 species Grynops verstegii found in Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi , Moluccas and Papua the second species  Grynops cumingiani this plant found in Sumatra.

Now we shall discuss the second family the Legumiosae, this Family only had one genus and one species that can produce agarwood resin. Dalbergia parvifolia from the genus of Dalbergia found in Sumatera and Kalimantan. This plant is a liana plant.

The last Family is Euphorbiaceae. From this family we found one genus Excoeccaria, the only species that can produce agarwood resin is Excoeccaria Agalocha. This tree live in the mangrove area. It can reach 10-20 M and it’s trunk diameter can reach 40 cm.

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